Reversible cushion shoe heel



Dec. 1 1 ,1923. 1,477,191

7 A. SMITH INVEWTOR:

.fl Q) .Z0 g :w ii I z;

Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,477,191 PATENT QFH E;

AYFURELIUS slurrm-or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIA A; I

REVERSIBLE CUSHION snos HEEL.

' 1 Applieation filed May is,

To all whom it may concern: j

Be it known. that I, AurmLrUs SMrrH, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and i therein who may cater to the wants of- Another object ,is to provide a shoe heel which shall have reversible wearing parts which may be readily removed and changed so as to bring unworn portions vof'the heel into the place of portions which mayjhave been worn away in use, to the end' that the wearingpart of the heel shall be renewable" and therefore long-lived and economical.

A further object is to .provide areversible shoe heel which shallhave an; expansible or contractible casing part in which bodyparts of different dimensions may be held and which permits the said body part to be reversed, and also inverted when desired, which casing part may be cheaply construced and not be liable to be, fractured in use while being. of light weight.

With the above-mentioned and other objects in view, the invention consists in a composite heel, of improved construction for'shoes or the like,'andhaving a flexible casing part and a changeable body portion which perferably is elastic; and,the invention consists further in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts 13S: hereinafter particularly described and further set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a shoe or boot provided with the; improved heel as preferably constructed;Fig. 2 is a front plan or bottom of the casing part of the heel as preferably constructed; Fig. 3 is a view of the forward portion of the casing part, partially in section; Fig. 4 is a lon- 1922. Serial No. "562,230.

gitudinal central sectional elevation of the; I improved heel and'adjacent'portions of the shoe; Fig. 5 is a plan offlthe elastic body part of the improved heel partially in section; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the filling-block with which the casing partpreferablyis provided to change the nor mal external contour thereof; Fig. 17' is "a: plan of thecasing part' 'blank ready to/be.

shaped to the required contour.

Inthedifferent-figures of thedra'wings similar reference characters indicate "corresponding orlik'e elements or features of com struction herein referred toin detail. I

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates the'rearward or heel portion of-the upper part of a shoe having a sole which as shown comprises two parts 2 and 3 and an i The "casing part of "theheel preferably' is composed of stamped sheet metal in order that it may .be bent to conform to s'uchlcontour as" may ,be"desired. 'Thel'casing" parti inner sole 4.

comprises an inclosing wal'l that is approxi' 'mately or maybe oval "in plan but preferably comprises a curved rear portion" 5 to which straight sides 6 andj7 are, connected,;.:

and curved forward portions '8 and I, 16;; tending from, the sidewall portions 'and connected in overlapping adjustable rangement to permit variation in' widthjof; v

the casing part which, b eing flexible, may

be slightly varied so-as to, conform to shoe soles of various dimensions. @The curved.

forward portions have apertures 10 and ll adjacent a to the ends thereof, at least one,

of which'is elongatedas a slot,a"boltl2 being placed in the 'aperturesand provided with a nut 13 wherebythe forward casing portions are .adjustably secured-together.

The rearwardportion 5 hasjan earor'foot i 14 on its inner side adjacent tothe-r'ear or base end thereof, vthe. side wall portions have similar ears l5 and 16, andlthe foi ward wallportionhas likewise an: earl? on one of the parts thereof, eachear having an aperture 18 thereinf Thejca si n'g part is arranged with its back or base end against the shoe sole in properposition and secured to the sole by means of screws 19 placed in the apertures in the earis and screwed into the shoe-sole.

When an approximately oval heel is not desired the straight sides .6 and 7 are made. sufiiciently long to correspond externally v to the shape ofheel commonly used, and'to threaded socket 23 receiving a screw 24, the

. i The body wall portion of the casing having apertures 25 and 26 through which the screws'e rtend respectively; E a I I 7 part or portion offthe heel is I composed of suitable material, being prefercovers the securing devices thereof, and,

1 the maximum wearing surface.

ably: rubber composition so as to be elastic, and comprises'a part 27 of suitable thickness and plan, dimensions corresponding to the casing part, as'shown the bodypart having acurved: rear end 28, straight side portions 29and 30 and "a curved opposite forward end 31) Preferably one or more similar bodyparts 2-7 are combined in one heel to obtain One side of each body part has a central recess 32 therein and the opposite side has a similar recess [33 therein, and the part has also a central aperture. 84, connected with the bottoms of the'recesses. The: bodylportion,

composed of one or-m'ore parts as above indlcated, '15 arranged in the casing part and being of proper thickness it extends beyond the casing part front, a washer3 5 is arrangedjnflthe forwardv recessf33, and ,a

wood screw 36 is inserted through the aper tfures 34 andscrewed into the shoe sole, the,

head of the woodfscrew being seated in the Each elastic body part of the heel preferably has a layer offabric reinforcement 37 therein that is imbedded in the rubber composition, any suitable number of siredbeing used. o

The casi'n part is cheaply composed of a stamped o longplate 38 having on one edge a plurality rofeitensions 39, 40;, 41, and-4E2 having each an'aperture 18 therein, theapertures 1 0 and 11 and 25and 26 are punched in the plate, the projections being subsequently bentover at right angles to the plate to constitute the securing'ears. In practical nsethe body portion of the heel deadens sound when composed of nonmetalli'c substance such as wood or vulc anized fibre, and when composed of rubber composition it yields'andcperates as a i cushion when the "weight of the wearer'is placed uponit, thecentral portion having the recesses therein possessing the greater degree of elasticity to absorb the shocks layers deordinarily transmitted to the wearer as his Weight comes fully and squarely upon the heel, while the more dense or less yielding portion adjacent to the edge of the body portion' w'ithstandsthrusts as the rear edge ofthe heel is placed in inclined position upon the ground'in the act of walking As the rearward port on becomes worn away in use as commonly occurs the heel becomes uncomfortable to the wearer and ,also run- .sightly; but the central screw 36 may be readily removed, permitting the body :por-

tion of the heel or the outer part thereof to, be removed and reversed solas to bring the unworn forward portion to the place previously occupied by the worn portion, after which the screw maybe a'gaininserted in place. After the forward and rearward pa tions Of one side ofan elastic part have 'bei i come worn away objectionably the part may be inverted or turned over so'as to bring the unused side to the front. Whenthe heel contains several body parts or layers, the inner layers maybe in turn trans ferred to the front or normal lower position,

the obj ectionably worn partsor layers being I shifted to or towards the shoe 'solewith resulting long life of the heel. -When'allfthe body parts have become soworn at the edges as to'be useless they may be re'ad1ly"re5 placed by new parts which -may"vbelept in stock for repair purposes. v

. Having thus described theinventi'o-n, what is claimed as new is,'*

;" 1; A reversible shoeiheel including a casf ing' part having oppo'siteforward and rearward wall portions that have curved lin'ner v sides,the forward wall' portion having two;

projections spaced apart on thefouter side thereof, "'p 'j caons rh fV'ing a rwxi r mately plane outer faces. f

24A reversible shoe casing part having curved opposite 7 forward and rearward wall portions, the forward wall portion havingftwocornerblocks spaced apart on the outer sidethereof, the blocks having approximately plane outer fa'cesl,

and a body part reversibly secured in -and filling the casing partand projecting beyond the normally lower end thereof. V r

8. A reversible shoe heel ,including 'a casing part having opposite forward and heel including a rearward wall portions that have curved inner-sides, the forwardwall portionhaving two PIOJGOtlOIIS spaced apart on, the outer side thereof, each of the 1'3ro ectionshaving curved ends and reversibly secured in and fillingthe casingpartl 41A reversible cushion shoe heel com prisin a flexible casingflpa'rt having two opposite straight sidewall portions and two oppositely curved forward and ,rearward wall portions, each ofsaid portions having approximately plane relatively right-angled outer faces,,and abodypart having-opposite 1,477,191 p c a 8 an car on the inner side thereof to receive body part embraced in the casing part and a securing screw, the forward wall portion prO ecting beyond the front end thereof; the being1 composed of two overlapping andrelbody part covering said ears and having an ative y adjustable slotted parts and provided aperture central therein to receive a se- 15 with a clam bolt securing the parts tocuring screw and a recess to receive the gether, the orward wall portion having head of the screw. two corner fillingblocks spaced apart and Inwitness whereof, I havehereunto set secured to the outer sidethereof, the blocks my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this'18th I having approximately'plane outer faces exday of -May, A. D. one thousand nine hurt. tending forward from the outer faces of dred and twenty-two. v i said straight wall portions, and an elastic S 

